Forgotten
by Cascading Rainbows
Summary: Chaos erupted on Earth, and out of the haze of confusion, Isabel Kabra stepped out and took control. Now, the year is 2308. The world is in the palm of her hand. Nothing can stop her. But in the shadows, a resistance is brewing-and they want revenge.
1. Prologue

**Forgotten**

**Prologue**

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><p><em>Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty. <em>

_~Ronald Reagan_

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><p>She was utterly alone.<p>

She smiled to herself; of course no one was there. No one would even dare to step foot in a one-mile radius of the building in fear of punishment. Or death. Or both.

A small black sparrow fluttered through the air, jabbering excitedly, when it flew too close to the building's security field. The field activated, shimmering blue as it shielded the building, and the sparrow crashed into its side. The bird let out a single pained squawk and fell to the cement with a dull thunk.

Really, she couldn't blame everyone for being terrified.

Confidently, she strode over to the red and silver skyscraper in front of her, a building that she knew all too well. It was a foreboding building, one that intimidated others enough to send them fleeing, even though they did not know what it held. Just the mere mention of it could send shivers down people's spines.

It had been built where the White House in America had once stood. True, she favored the United Kingdom, but she felt that the country, the one all about _peace _and _democracy_ and all those worthless things, could use her help especially. She had specifically instructed the builders to set the building down there, because it was hilariously ironic, needing a whole group of pathetic blokes to run a small portion of the world when one woman could rule it all singlehandedly.

She pressed her palm on the cool metal surface of the building's doors, waiting. There was a shudder, and she took off her hand. The door slowly rose, revealing a dark room.

As soon as she stepped inside, they silently came back down, sealing the entrance. The lights flickered on. It was silent, except for the rhythmic beat of her high heels, echoing each time her feet struck the tile floor as she strode past. It was as if she was gracing the building with her appearance, leaving it awestruck at her powerful presence. She turned at the end of the corridor, walking a meandering path memorized by heart, that went further and further underground.

Eventually, she reached a large door. Stuck on its middle was a box with a small lens. A bright white light emanated from it, scanning her body. A few seconds later, the box robotically intoned, "_Access granted_," and the doors slid open.

What they revealed was the dimly-lit executive boardroom, all the chairs filled except for the large one at the end, which was reserved for her. As soon as her face was recognizable out of the shadows, the others gathered in the room automatically recited cheerily, "Good morning, Mrs. Kabra. Have you fared well?"

"Of course not," she snapped. "I had to cut my massage thirty minutes short and consequently miss my manicure session for this emergency meeting. I'll have to reschedule now . . ."

One of the men near her stood up quickly and pulled out her chair for Isabel, then pushed it back into the table gently after she'd primly seated herself in it. Another man handed her a cup of Earl Grey tea. She took a long sip, set it down on the table, and requested, "Chrissy Collins? Read me the agenda for the emergency meeting."

A tan, skinny young woman, clad in a grey skirted business suit, stood up, holding a few typed papers in her hands. Isabel had once considered her a wonderful candidate for her son's spouse-to-be, even though Chrissy was four years older than him.

That is, before he turned soft and had to be eliminated.

Chrissy cleared her throat softly, and smoothed out the wrinkles in her suit. Then she began, "This is the agenda for the emergency meeting of Mrs. Isabel Kabra and her Executives, April 15, 2308. First and foremost is the speculation of a growing resistance, which is leaving signs of their existence around the world. Then we will move on to the general agenda, hearing any reports that any Executives have and any other concerns that may be voiced. We will then close." She handed the papers to Isabel, who accepted them graciously.

Then she realized what was really being said.

Isabel took a deep breath through her nose. "What is this talk of a resistance?" she inquired calmly. "And why has my staff been so ignorant of my flawless regime to allow one?" Isabel turned to the man on her right. "Dmitri? Care to explain?"

The stolid dark-skinned man stood, warily watching her expression. "Well, it seems that, unlike the other prominent rebellions formed centuries ago, this one has acted, well, underground."

Her face remained blank and expressionless. This was a bad sign. "And _why _is that a dilemma of enormous proportions?" she deadpanned sarcastically, pursing her lips. She bore holes in him with her eyes.

Dmitri tugged at his tie, turning red in the face. "W-well you see, M-Mrs. Kabra—"

"The problem is that this resistance is growing stronger by the moment, Mrs. Kabra," Chrissy interrupted. Dmitri looked relieved. "This one especially. It's large enough to overthrow anyone in this room.

". . . It's powerful enough to overthrow you."

At that instant, Isabel stood up quickly, her fists balled. "Did you dare say what I think you did?" Her pale fingers traveled down to her holster, which she fingered threateningly. "Do you _want_ to die, Chrissy? Because it looks like you're absolutely begging for it."

"No, Mrs. Kabra," Chrissy muttered and scurried back to her seat. Isabel stared at her for an insufferable long time, then finally shifted her gaze.

"Cowards," she hissed. "There is something that you say is the most powerful resistance of all time, and I'm dealing with cowards."

"We're sorry, Mrs. Kabra," Chrissy mumbled tremulously. She shot a glare at the others, who followed suit and muttered apologies.

"If you're sorry, then show me," Isabel replied shortly.

Chrissy glanced at her colleagues and stood up. The others followed suit and put their hands to their chests. Together in one voice, they recited monotonously, "I pledge allegiance to Isabel Kabra and her wondrous reign, which has prospered for centuries and centuries to come."

Isabel smiled, but it looked like a demonic grimace on her. "Very well recited." Chrissy let out a sigh of relief and took a seat. With quick glances at Isabel's right-hand woman, the others sat down.

"So: resistance. Enlighten me," Isabel drawled. She propped up her head on her hands in a fake act of interest. Her eyes scanned the room and landed on Dmitri. "You: explain."

He appeared frightened. "It's…um, th-there are many bases all around the world. It's quite underground, and the only way that we can determine that they are there is that there are people disappearing from several sectors on the Network. The resistance is off the Network, which, frankly, I can't understand, because of the security installed all around the Network.

"We've tightened the security measures, and there have been a significant decrease in disappearing people. But there must be a way that they've been crossing the Divide, where the chances of crossing it are extremely slim to nonexistent." Dmitri stared at Isabel with wary eyes, waiting for approval.

She gave him an almost imperceptible nod, and he leaned back in his chair, comforted by the slightest notion that she was satisfied.

Isabel sipped her Earl Grey again and turned to her foremost assistant. "Chrissy? Anything else to add?" Chrissy shook her head.

Isabel drained the rest of her tea and let out a refreshed exhale. "This is what I propose: we send Lucian spies and have them infiltrate the bases. They will obtain information and then send word to us when they are finished. We come destroy them, and use the information to track down the other bases."

"But how are we supposed to find the bases?" Chrissy countered.

"You said that there are some people that travel in and out of the Network and the Outside, crossing the Divide and presumably taking people to the Resistance Bases?" Chrissy nodded. "Obviously, our spies will befriend those people and travel with them to the Bases."

There was a silence. "Genius!" Dmitri cried out, applauding. "Our leader is supreme!" Everyone joined him, and Isabel basked in her glory.

It felt good to be the most powerful woman in the world.

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><p>…<em>Now, I understand that many—no, most—of you are probably confused. What is that building? Who are the people? Why is it the year 2308? Isn't Isabel supposed to be in jail? How is she even alive now? What's the Network? What's the Divide?<em>

_I'm not answering any of those questions. Yet. _

_They will either be answered in the next chapter or two, or you can assume the answer from the text. Note that one of this story's genres is Sci-Fi, and that it is stated that the story is AU in the summary. _

_But if you still don't get it by Chapter 3 or so, feel free to ask in a review and I'll PM you back. :) _

…_Actually, you won't know the answer to 'How is Isabel even alive now' until much later. It's part of the plot. But whatever._

_Thanks to __**music4evah**__, __**aka Mona**__, who beta-ed this for me. Lots of others looked over this for me, too. :) But I forgot… :( __**Sun Daughter, aka Summer,**__ looked over it, I remember. She said there was no mistakes, so. ;D_

_I'm not updating this in a while, because I'll be going to a church retreat in about two hours. That's actually why I published this now, to tide you guys over until next week or the week after. _

_Reviews are loved. This is actually my most important writing project right now, so praise is loved, constructive criticism is definitely welcome, and flames are accepted, of course._

_Thanks for reading!_

_~Joyce_

_PS: This will also be the first multi-chapter in a trilogy. The Resistance Trilogy. xD Haha, thoughts?_


	2. Chapter 1

**My Lovely Reviewers: **_Special thanks to LovePrism, MagicIsEverywhere, Cecily Bradley, Amazingly Brilliant, enchanting sparkles, Joelle8, over the waves, limping llama, Emily Starlight, RageRunsStill, rainingtearsofchocolate, angels fly with starry wings, Andy Too lazy to log in, riptides, Sun Daughter, Traipeze, I Will Not Follow, Another Artist, Celestial Calamity, Syberian Quest, anonymous, and andromeda fairytale for reviewing the last chapter! It really means a lot! :)_

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

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><p>"<em>A controlled society is a safe society."<em>

_~Isabel Kabra, from her Speech of Nations_

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><p>The hallway was dark with a sliver of faint light filtering in from the window, casting an eerie glow on the tile floor. The only sound heard was that of the quiet beat of her blue slippers padding to the door. She bit her lip, quickening her pace. When she stepped in front of the foreboding oak doors, the security system recognized her iris print immediately and silently slid open.<p>

The room was very small, just large enough to fit in a small round table with two wooden chairs on each side. _One of the servants must have cleared out a storage closet and put these in here_, she realized. Above the table bobbed a light orb.

And in one of the chairs sat Isabel Kabra.

"M-Mum?" she stuttered. "It's—it's you. It's really, truly you!"

Isabel didn't smile. But her face slightly glowed, as if to express subtle joy, and that was enough for her. "Lacie—of course I'm back. How have you been? Was the makeshift staff all right?"

Lacie almost wrinkled her nose, but then remembered that it caused wrinkles. Then she remembered she didn't have any wrinkles. She would never have wrinkles.

She was immortal.

"They were disgustingly horrible," she scoffed, fiddling with one of her golden bracelets on her wrist. "The chef slightly overdid the crème brûlée. And the caviar was a bit iffy, too."

Her mother rolled her amber eyes. "You _must _remind me to hire new staff. That is the _last_ time I hire someone with so little Lucian blood in their veins."

Isabel rose, and motioned for Lacie to sit on the other chair. She complied, primly crossing her legs and folding her hands.

"So, what have you been doing?" she asked excitedly. She hadn't talked to her mother in such a long time, and a feeling of glee washed over her. "Any news? Have you discovered any threats, victories, infiltera—"

"Darling, you _must_ learn when to be quiet," Isabel snapped condescendingly, looking at her daughter with an expression of disdain.

Lacie's cheeks stained red. "I'm sorry, mother," she muttered. Inwardly, she cursed herself for acting so foolish and vulnerable in front of her mother. She always strived to act perfect for her mum, and she had failed. Again. Coughing slightly, she straightened her spine, trying to act sophisticated.

Isabel stared at her for a long while, and then began to speak again. "The reason I was gone for such a long while was because . . . we have detected a resistance. They are very covert as of the moment, and my team has absolutely no information besides the fact that the organization simply exists."

"Then how do you know that there _is _a resistance?" Lacie blurted out, realizing her mistake too late.

Her mother gave her an icy look, and then continued. "The group has been leaving signs of their existence all over the globe, leading the IFS—the International Federation of Security, of course—to believe that the resistance is spread worldwide, marking the largest rebellion since the beginning of my reign in 2008. They have graphitized proclamations and destroyed community buildings glorifying myself. Also, there are bases set up all around the world." She gave Lacie a sickeningly sweet smile. "And _that_, darling, is where you come in."

Lacie shifted uneasily in her seat. "What do you mean?"

Her mum said nothing at first, which brought a pang to Lacie's stomach. Had she said something wrong again? However, Isabel's mouth soon opened. "I have a proposition for you, Lacie, dear. Would you like to do something . . ." Isabel began, choosing her words carefully, tapping her long, blood-red nails on the table one by one. ". . . That would make your mum very, very proud?"

"Of course, Mum," she replied enthusiastically, regaining confidence. Finally—this was her chance to show her mum what she was capable of. She _was_ strong enough to go on reconnaissance missions with her, she _was_ smart enough to handle Isabel's busy schedules packed with meetings, and she _was _capable of becoming the leader of the world, after her mother passed down the power to her. "What will I do? Help you on a mission?"

". . . In a way."

"Oh, that sounds good. Am I going to travel with you in one of your secret airplanes? Will I get to be a secret agent? Will I—"

Isabel let out a loud sigh, cutting Lacie off and making her feel inferior again. "Darling, I mean that I'm sending you as a spy to infiltrate one of the resistance camps."

-o-

Immediately, Lacie knew that she was ready. She was born for the role, and her success would only please her mother more. "I'll do it," she said firmly.

Isabel nodded in approval. "Good. But I'll need to give you one item before you depart."

She pressed something cold and hard into her palm. It was a ring, silver with a red jewel embedded in the middle. Rings were a sign of status, as were necklaces, earrings, and any other kind of jewelry. They showed everyone else that you were rich, and that your bloodline was clean enough to be granted access to such luxuries. The red signified that you were a perfect Lucian—no dirty blood running in your veins.

Lacie was taken by surprise. "Why are you giving me this?" she asked hesitantly.

Her mother sighed, and she slid the ring onto the ring finger of Lacie's right hand. "It's our way of communication, darling. When you absolutely cannot extract any more information from the resistance, press the button hidden inside of the ring. The ring will only respond to your fingerprint." She gestured to the jewel. "Press it."

Uncertainly, Lacie did as she was told. The gem flipped over on its small silver pedestal, revealing a miniscule red button.

"Click the button, and the ring's coordinates will immediately be transmitted to the control center in the main tower. My forces will arrive at the scene, taking everyone hostage and torturing them for information. If they refuse to say anything, we kill them." Isabel looked like she was relishing the idea.

Lacie was used to these homicidal urges. "So do I need to dress up as a non-Lucian or something?"

"Of course," Isabel snapped. "I'll be able to have our stylists sew some potato sacks together for you." She glanced at Lacie's dark brown tresses, cut and styled to perfection. "We'll have to cut that hair of yours, too."

Immediately, Lacie's hands went up to her head. "My hair?" Instantly, Isabel shot her a dark look, and she let her hands fall to her lap again. "O-Okay." She paused. "Can _you_ cut my hair, please?"

Isabel considered. "Fine." She lifted her right hand and pressed the green jewel embedded on the ring on her fourth finger. An interface screen projected in front of her, and she calmly pressed one of the screen buttons. "A pair of scissors."

Quickly, a maidservant came through the doors, holding up a silver pair of scissors on a platter. Isabel picked them up, and the maidservant scampered away.

"I'm so proud of you, Lacie," Isabel murmured, then swiftly ran the blades through her hair.

-o-

"You have three seconds."

It had been an hour since Isabel had chopped off Lacie's hair, which now only went down to her shoulders in choppy waves and had been dyed a light dirt-brown. Lacie's purple silk dress was replaced with commoner clothing: a simple brown tee shirt and slacks, fitted with a leather belt. Her heels had been yanked from her feet, and she now had simple flats. Worst of all, she had been stripped of all her bracelets, pendants, ribbons, bows, and necklaces, save for the red ring that her mum had given her.

Lacie cast a desperate look over her shoulder. "Just three seconds, Mum?"

Isabel stared at her patronizingly. "If we shut this Divide down any longer, Lacie dear, our region will be exposed to all the dangers in the Wilderness, don't you think? And we wouldn't want our poor civilians to be put at risk with all the wild animals running amok and disease-filled plants that are out there, right?"

Lacie grinned. That was her mother, always looking out for civilians. "But . . . if I go out there, wouldn't _I _be exposed to all the dangerous things as well?"

"The enemies were very tricky, Lacie. They eliminated all the wild animals in the area so that they could survive across the Divide."

"Wait." Lacie paused, dumbfounded. "Did they use . . . guns?"

Isabel nodded gravely. "These people are not to be messed with. However, Lacie, they will trust you. You are just another young girl that is looking for them, correct? They will not suspect you."

"Okay," Lacie responded, saying it more to convince herself than to answer her mother. "I'm ready."

"Good." Isabel raised the small panel in her hand, equipped with dozens of flickering red buttons. "Get your hoverbike ready."

Lacie powered on her hoverbike and jumped on. The vehicle lifted a few feet off the ground, and metal clips rose out of the sides to chain her feet and hands onto it. "All set."

"Three."

Her engine revved.

"Two."

The headlights blinked.

"One."

-o-

As soon as that last word escaped Isabel's mouth, the sizzling electric field shut down. Lacie could hear the Divide shutting down with a small _shoom_. Instantaneously, she pressed her foot down on the pedal, and she was jolted back as the vehicle zoomed forward.

When she looked back, the Divide was fizzling again, like nothing had happened.

She continued forward, more slowly now. The scenery had abruptly changed from the silver sleekness of the city to rural grassland and foliage. The Divide made it impossible for anyone to see things on the other side. If you were in the city, you couldn't see the Wilderness. If you were in the Wilderness, you couldn't see the city.

It occurred to her that she had never seen a real tree before.

All the trees in the city, like most other things there, were manufactured. Their shiny verdant leaves were built in factories, and their scent was sprayed on, selling in cans for a small price in most drug stores.

But _these_—these were real, authentic trees. Lacie hesitantly turned her bike off, which slowly lowered down to the ground, and jumped off to touch one of the leaves of a stately oak. The texture was smooth, with veins running down the middle. They looked and felt almost exactly like the fake trees in the City, but there was a certain authenticity, a _realness _that Lacie marveled at.

Suddenly, Lacie remembered why she was here in the first place, and she stepped back like she'd been stung. _I have to find the resistance, _she reminded herself. _I have to make my mum proud. _But before she realized it, she ran back to the oak and picked up a twig from the ground. Slowly, she carved a scraggly L onto the surface of the tree, then a long H. Lacie Hollingsworth. LH.

_I need to go_.

After one more furtive look at the tree, she ran back to her bike and took off.

-o-

After a few hours of traveling, Lacie had not seen anything except desolate greenery. She sighed and glanced at her bike monitor. It stated the temperature, weather forecast, date, and time, which was currently 5:48 PM. Actually, 5:_49_.

Her stomach growled. Self-consciously pressing her hand to her stomach, Lacie pressed one of the buttons on the bike screen. This opened up a storage compartment in the back of the bike. She peered into it, searching for any food that her mother may have supplied her. All that she could find were three freeze-dried silver bags, each containing a small portion of food.

Since she could see the outline of the food inside the bags, because the bags were wrapped tightly around them, she picked up the one that looked a little like noodles. She took off the seal and carefully opened the bag, first taking out the tray inside and unfolding it. Gingerly, she shook the bag over the tray. Slowly, like gelatin, a clump of noodles fell out of the bag and stuck to the tray in one large mass. She jiggled the bag more, and some chunky red sauce slid out onto the tray as well.

There were no utensils.

Disgustedly, she poked at the fossilized mass in front of her and hesitantly picked up a noodle with her fingers and ate it. It wasn't properly seasoned, and the noodle was too dry. She shook her head in disgust.

She didn't have anything else to eat, though.

Lacie began eating two at a time, then scooping up noodles with her cupped hands. In a span of twenty minutes, she had cleared her tray. Her hands were coated with leftover red sauce. Without thinking about it, she let out a long burp.

She felt like a plebeian.

Sighing, Lacie stood up again, wiping her hands on the forest floor. Pieces of dirt clung to her sticky hands. She had work to do, no matter how difficult it was. It had to be done, especially if she wanted to impress her mum.

She jumped on her hoverbike again, and once airborne, flew away.

-o-

"Has your daughter embarked on her mission, yet, Ms. Kabra?" Chrissy asked, handing Isabel some papers that marked potential rebellion centers.

Isabel, who was sitting in her office, sifted through the papers, pausing at the last one. It showed North America, with blue lines separating the boundaries of their province and the Wilderness. "She took off right here," Isabel replied, picking up a red marker to draw an arrow from one edge of the blue line. "She should be heading off towards _here_." She drew a red circle near the eastern coast of America.

Chrissy took one of the papers and examined it carefully. "That's perfect. It's about two miles off of one of the resistance hotspots. If Lacie looks thoroughly, she should arrive anywhere from a day to two days."

Isabel snorted. "Lacie has the brain capacity of a weasel."

"Still," Chrissy continued, ignoring the comment, "I hope you have provided her with sufficient food in her hoverbike."

"A half a day's worth," Isabel replied dismissively, standing up to leave her office. "If Lacie has any intelligence, she'll be wise and ration her food."

Chrissy widened her eyes, "But—Mrs. Kabra, a half a day's worth of food is hardly enough for a growing girl." When Isabel rolled her eyes, Chrissy hastily added, "We'll just have to pray that Lacie can find the resistance soon enough and not run out of food."

"Fingers crossed," Isabel deadpanned, and she left the room.

-o-

Lacie was steadily growing more tired. The sun had set a few hours ago, and even with the headlights of her hoverbike, she had limited vision. She checked the time: _11:25 PM. _

She decided to take up shelter, which seemed like the best course of action, and landed her hoverbike. As best as she could, she fumbled for the switch and opened her compartment. Lacie rummaged through the items and found a flimsy sleeping bag. She shuddered. Every day of her life she had slumbered peacefully in her own king size bed with full mattresses, dozens of pillows, and a silk four-poster canopy.

Now she had been reduced to some filthy bag.

Lacie slowly opened up her sleeping bag, which was hardly fit for sleep, and jumped off the bike. She laid it on the mossy ground and spread it out.

There wasn't even a _pillow_.

Lacie groaned. So this was how it felt like to be a commoner.

The wind rustled, and she shuddered. Her tee shirt and slacks weren't doing much to warm her. Lacie slipped into her sleeping bag and was surprised to see how warm it was.

_This actually isn't too bad_, Lacie thought to herself, and she drifted.

-o-

When she woke up, it was already afternoon. Lacie stood up and stuffed her sleeping bag in her hoverbike's compartment, and then checked the time on her hoverbike. _1:15 PM_, it read. She frowned. Had she really slept that long?

Yawning, she rummaged through her compartment and dug out another freeze-dried bag. Lacie set up her tray for the food, and she shook the bag. Out came two pink sausages. She wrinkled her nose, but what choice did she have? Her stomach growled. She had to eat anything she could get her hands on.

Hungrily, she scarfed down the two sausages in a matter of minutes, and she blushed. Her manners had gone out the window since she'd been sent to the Wilderness.

All of a sudden, she heard a rustle in the trees. Lacie whipped her head back to look, but there was nothing.

There it was again, in the other bush! Fearfully, Lacie jumped onto her bike again. This way, if she had to leave, she could do so in a simple click of an ON button.

All at the same time, dozens of heads rose up from the bushes, guns poking out next to them. _The resistance. They're as bad as Mum told me they were_, Lacie realized with wide eyes, and revved her hoverbike engine.

She propelled herself as far away as she could from those evil people. She never got a good look at their faces, but she knew they had guns and were ready to shoot.

At _her_.

Soon, she heard the whirring of another hoverbike engine near her, at a much faster speed than hers. Eventually it caught up to her and came right next to her. _Oh no oh no oh no oh no. _

She weaved in and out of trees, barely missing a large branch that swooped over her head. Lacie could vaguely hear the hoverbike following her. She suddenly went low, her feet almost grazing the tall grass as she flew, then took a sharp turn left, deeper into the forest. Blurs of trees brushed past her.

The hoverbike was getting closer; she could hear its sound getting louder. She noticed humans sticking out of the grass as she was flying. _This is the resistance. I've flown right into their territory._

Lacie went to the right, almost getting hit by a tree again. She had only flown on a hoverbike a few times, to know simple commands and how to steer, but never in such a dangerous terrain. Other than the basics, Lacie had no other experience. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the enemy hoverbike gaining on her. It flew gracefully, and it was evident that the rider had years of experience. Her mere weeks spent flying around the manor couldn't compare to the sleek finesse of the other rider.

Determined to escape, Lacie leaned forward, and the hoverbike shot through the air. Lacie maneuvered awkwardly between the large trees, trying to maintain balance. She let out a shriek as she collided with a trunk of a tree. The metal clips attached to her wrists kept her on the hoverbike, but her knuckles were scratched badly. Her forehead began to bleed profusely, and Lacie could feel the salty blood flowing down her face.

Hands shaking, Lacie only flew faster. She had never been hurt so badly before. Her mum had always dissuaded her from roughhousing and had encouraged her to engage in ladylike activities, so there was never a reason for her to get this injured.

_Her mum_.

Her whole mission was to get into the resistance, and Lacie had found it. And what was she doing? Running away like a coward.

Lacie weighed her options quickly. There wasn't much time to mull over a decision, considering the fact that she was engaged in a high-speed chase. She could either give herself up to the Resistance, or she could hightail it out of there. Or she could try to explain herself to the person chasing her. Maybe if she just landed and talked to the guy, he or she would understand she was here for the rebellion and she was ready to join.

It sounded reasonable in her mind.

After a few more minutes of flying, Lacie decided it was a good time. As a precaution, she flew around the forest some more, then braked at a safe-looking clearing. With a small sigh, she jumped off her hoverbike.

Now she could finally talk to—

"Mmph!"

Two arms wrapped around Lacie and squeezed her abdomen. One hand snaked up to cover her mouth. Lacie tried to yell through the gloved hand, but to no avail. The arms squeezed tighter.

"Don't move," the voice said, "or we will shoot."

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><p><em>Word Count: 3,497<em>

_Uh. Well. I haven't updated in a very, very long time. So, you guys can riot or something. I deserve it._

_Thanks to __**music4evah **__for betaing, as always. Mona, you rock. You read this countless times, and I nagged you way too much for your own good. Also, as a note to you, I kept the scene break because I liked the dramatic pause it gave. :) Not that I disrespect your opinion, I love it! I just wanted to keep that one little thing. (;_

_Haha, anyway, please leave a review! I haven't updated in such a long time, so if you review, it shows me that you guys still have interest in the story and want me to continue! :) All kinds of reviews, praise, constructive criticism, and flames, are welcome. _

_Thanks for reading!_

_~Cascading Rainbows _


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